


sleepless lonesome nights (haunted by due time)

by freckledpianoman



Series: kiss prompts [3]
Category: Stargirl (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, a bit angsty but plenty of fluff to make up for it!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25365790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledpianoman/pseuds/freckledpianoman
Summary: 4. An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose.
Relationships: Beth Chapel/Rick Tyler
Series: kiss prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836868
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	sleepless lonesome nights (haunted by due time)

**Author's Note:**

> requested by heliophile7 on tumblr!  
> if you like this, please feel free to leave a request on my [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/freckledpianoman)!  
> title from atlas by coin

Beth prides herself on being determined above all else. She's the kind of person who gets things done and does them right the first time, with very few exceptions. She's found something new to be very determined about- she's determined to avoid telling anyone about the nightmares haunting her every time she manages to doze off.

She convinces herself they're dumb and juvenile- most of the time she can't even remember them, just knows that they freak her out. That may be an understatement- she's woken up shaking and crying more times than she'd ever care to admit.

Normally Beth's very open about her feelings, especially with her friends and her boyfriend, but this is a whole other ballpark. Her mother had always told her that dreams held a deeper meaning, and if Beth acknowledged her nightmares, she also acknowledges their deeper meaning- whatever was nagging at the back of her mind would finally be revealed.

So she's not telling anyone. Eventually they will go away and Beth will be able to get a full night's sleep and carry on with her life and  _ everything is going to be fine. _

At least she has tonight to look forward to- Rick's coming over to watch a movie and do all the coupley-stuff they miss out on because of training or homework or work or anything else they have piled onto their plates.

She just has to make sure she doesn't fall asleep or something. Logically, she probably will- Rick tends to end up staying over whenever they hang out (thank God her parents work late and trust her) and she's more than happy to cuddle up with him on any given night. She can't now, though. 

She'll figure something out when the time comes- if all else fails she can just hope to God that she'll wake quietly and won't disturb him. She doesn't really think about how he would react if he  _ did _ find out, mostly because that kind of vulnerability almost scares her.

Sharing your deepest darkest fears is way more different than talking about feelings, and she understands now why it was so hard for Rick to open up in the first place. At least if it does happen (which it  _ won't)  _ she can expect him to be understanding.

A couple hours later, Rick strolls into her house without even knocking, like he normally does. They spend a little bit of time in the kitchen figuring out the snack situation, and another portion of the time making out against the counter.

Eventually, they plop down on the living room couch and Rick puts his head in Beth's lap. She scrolls through movies until she finds some old murder mystery that's playing and lets her fingers card through Rick's hair as they both relax.

Unsurprisingly, he dozes off before they even hit the hour mark on the movie, head still resting in her lap. Beth tries not to worry about her nightmares as she dozes off, because maybe they just won't come. She's tired of the nightmares- in every sense of the word.

Once again, she can't remember specific details when she wakes up. When it's happening the details feel vivid, but as soon as she's awake they're muddled and slipping away. Her eyes flutter open slowly, and she feels a hand brushing her cheek. 

Rick is there when her eyes open, looking about as terrified as she feels. She sits up carefully, wiping her eyes and trying to calm her breathing- she's gonna have to explain this to him. Before she can figure out what to say, he's hugging her close to him and rocking them back and forth slowly.

Before she knows it, she's crying. This doesn't normally happen, she's just so  _ tired.  _ Her whole body shudders as she lets out weak, wracking sobs into his shoulder, gripping with all her strength onto the back of his shirt while he cradles her against him.

They stay like that for a while, him cooing softly in her ear while she shivers against him, letting all her emotions out. It feels like this is some separate reality- when they wake up in the morning, nobody will know this ever happened. This is a moment they share, that nobody else will ever be able to touch.

Rick shifts back slightly to look at her, their lips brushing just barely. He pauses and leans in for a soft kiss, only there for a second before he's back to hugging her in that protective way he had before.

It's almost nice- he doesn't even know about the nightmares explicitly, he just  _ knows _ . Rick knows more than he lets on, she realizes- knows exactly what she needs before she even does. They know each other better than anyone.

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoyed this, leave a comment!  
> [black lives matter](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/)


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